What is inspiration exactly? It is expressed and shared in so many different ways. But there is, in fact, a heart to the meaning of pure inspiration.

I believe that Dr. Wayne Dyer describes this heart, quite eloquently in his book “Inspiration Your Ultimate Calling” I would like to share this quote with you here:

“I think of the word inspiration as meaning “being in-Spirit.” When we%92re in-Spirit, we%92re inspired…and when we%92re inspired, it%92s because we%92re back in-Spirit, fully awake to Spirit within us. Being inspired is an experience of joy: We feel completely connected to our Source and totally on purpose; our creative juices flow, and we bring exceptionally high energy to our daily life. We%92re not judging others or ourselves—we%92re uncritical and unbothered by behaviors or attitudes that in uninspired moments are frustrating. Our heart sings in appreciation for every breath; and we%92re tolerant, joyful, and loving.”

If you have never read one of Dr. Dyer%92s books, I highly recommend that you do. I guarantee that you will walk away from it a changed person to some degree. Your heart and mind cannot help but open up a little bit more to the wonderful Spirit of inspiration while you are reading his words.

But now the question is: how do we get ourselves to this place where we are “in-Spirit” and once we do get there, how can we remain there?

I write an inspirational blog….. so I guess that means I should be “UP” at all times, “CONSTANTLY IMMERSED IN PURE SPIRIT”…..It%92s only logical…Otherwise what right do I have in writing about this subject on a weekly basis?..What do you think? I should have it all figured out… right? WRONG! But I certainly would like to be there; in this place where I am “In-Spirit” or “Inspired” at all times. This is, in fact, my goal in this life. This is also one of the reasons why I write this blog. It is, in a way, a reminder or affirmation of this goal. So then, when will I get to this state of being on a constant basis? Who knows? But for now, just like everyone else, I have my highs and I have my lows. I also have my moments of pure Inspiration and my moments of cold, clouded judgment and darkness. This is natural. This is human. Do I like it? No, not really, but I can see that there is a very good reason for this state of being too. It teaches me to have empathy for others who are feeling low when I, on the other hand, am experiencing the feeling of being up and Inspired.

Just recently, as a matter of fact, I have to admit that I definitely received an in depth lesson on the subject. I had really slipped into a low and was experiencing a type of block…self imposed. That is until a dear friend of mine reminded me of what it looks like, feels like and sounds like to be inspired. She showed me this so clearly and simply by her example, her non-judgmental, non-lecturing words of wisdom and by offering her listening ear. We all feel the need to vent at times, this is true, but we also need an opportunity to do this “venting” in a way that provides a positive exploration for truth and an opportunity for growth by refocusing our attention on what is truly important. I feel so absolutely blessed to have had this opportunity and I am so truly grateful to my friend for this wonderful gift that she has shared with me: the gift of inspiration through friendship. However, with absolutely no intention of minimizing this special gift that I have received from this wonderful individual, I feel that it is necessary to add one more point to this. The fact is that the only way that I was able to recognize this gift of inspiration was by consciously keeping my heart and my mind open wide and honestly listening to what she had to say, carefully observing her example, and intently holding onto my desire to once again find my way back to the river of pure Inspiration. For this I am truly grateful to myself.

Friendship, without a doubt, has got to be one of the greatest gifts that we can give and receive in this crazy, mixed up world of duality where we can be up one moment and down the next. True friendship is built on love and love alone, and this of course, is the golden key to pure inspiration! The ability to open our hearts wide to giving and receiving love in the purest sense, letting our defenses (EGO) down for a moment, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, listening with our hearts and allowing the spirit of love to flow through us is the epitome of pure inspiration.

However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, I%92m afraid to say that all too often we spend so much of our time and energy looking for, focusing on and clutching relentlessly to what we feel are the “negative” qualities in our friends, family and especially in ourselves. We just can%92t seem to let loose. These “quirks” of theirs or ours seem to creep under our skin, grabbing our attention and making it very hard to get past our judgmental point of view. There is no inspiration here. There is only ego. Ego does not provide us with inspiration it only creates huge stumbling blocks that seriously impede the flow of inspiration.

Whether spoken aloud or within the confines of our own mind, these negative thoughts have power. They are destructive to us and to the other person as well. So what can you do when you catch yourself thinking this way? You know that these harmful vibes are floating around in the ether causing roadblocks in the path of inspiration. So what do you do now? What steps can you take to undo the damage to yourself and others?

How about searching for and focusing on something good in the other person or in your own self? How many positive traits can you find if you consciously try? How about focusing on this for a while? Perhaps in contemplating on the positive traits of the other individual and while you%92re at it, on your own self as well, you can smash apart the roadblock that is impeding the flow of pure inspiration.

If you recall the quote that you read above from Dr. Dyer, this has everything to do with being inspired:
“we%92re uncritical and unbothered by behaviors or attitudes that in uninspired moments are frustrating. Our heart sings in appreciation for every breath; and we%92re tolerant, joyful, and loving.”

Now I would like to reiterate an idea that I mentioned in one of my previous blog entries:
You cannot change another person. That choice is entirely up to them. But what you can change is the way that you choose to look at them; through the eyes of ego or through the eyes of inspiration. THAT CHOICE IS UP TO YOU.

So how do we get to and stay in the spirit of inspiration? In my humble opinion I think that it simply comes down to a matter of our own choosing. Do we want it or not? Are we willing to focus on it or not? Is it important to us or not? I sincerely hope for all of our sakes that it is.
Together we can tear down the walls that ego has built and set our creative spirit free.
INSPIRATION IS CONTAGIOUS…PASS IT ON

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY POST. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY COMMENTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PERSONALLY NOTIFIED OF MY NEXT AND SUBSEQUENT BLOG ENTRIES, PLEASE ADD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO MY MAILING LIST. THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR THIS AND I WILL NOT BOMBARD YOU WITH ADVERTISING. I WILL SIMPLY LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS THE BLOG ENTRY IS POSTED OR WHEN A NEW PAINTING HAS BEEN ADDED TO MY COLLECTION.

I HOPE THAT YOU HAVE AN INSPIRING DAY
ALL THE BEST TO YOU NOW AND ALWAYS
PAM

TOMORROW…I%92ll do it tomorrow. I%92ll get to it when I have more time. Who me, creative? Are you kidding? I don%92t have time to be creative. I can%92t afford it. Besides I don%92t have a creative bone in my body. I%92m not an artist. I just have no imagination. I CAN%92T DO IT.

Any of these sound familiar? They certainly do to me. I hear these words from people all of the time. In fact, I hate to admit it but I am sure that I%92ve used each one of these statements or excuses at least once in my life and most of them, more times than I%92d care to admit.

I think that one of the reasons why we say these things, think and feel this way, is that many of us do not really understand what it actually means to be creative, or for that matter what it means to be an “artist”. For the longest time I had no idea. Although I thought that I understood, really I did not. In actuality I was completely in the dark. Absolutely encased in the thick illusion or delusion about what the words “artist” and “creativity” actually meant, there was no way that I would have fit myself into either category. But thanks to some honest soul searching, a diligent search for truth and a willingness to set aside preconceived notions, judgment and face my fears head on, I am happy to report that this shroud of confusion has begun to dissipate. Misunderstanding is being replaced with understanding, breaking my defenses, shattering my limitations and allowing the volcano of pure inspired thinking to erupt from the depths of myself as soul. For this I am truly grateful.

The following are some of the ways that I have found my thought patterns changing over the past few years:

Instead of saying, “I am not an artist.” I now find myself saying, “We are all artists in our own right. In fact, we are the artists of our own lives.”

Instead of saying, “I am not creative.” I find myself saying, “We are all creative beings in essence.”

Instead of saying, “I just don%92t have the time.” I find myself searching for ways to make the time in order to satisfy my intrinsic need for creative expression.

Instead of saying, “I have no imagination.” I find myself saying, “Everything that exists in this world was once a mere seed of imagination.

And finally, instead of saying “tomorrow,” I find myself thinking that there really is no tomorrow. Tomorrow does not exist. I%92m sure you%92ve heard the saying “Tomorrow never comes.” The truth is that everything is, in fact, here now. We exist only in this present moment. NOW.

What has caused this dramatic change in the way that I think? Once upon a time, I took a chance and tried something new. It all began with contemplative meditation. I spent a few years experimenting with many forms of spiritual exercises in order to heighten my awareness in this world, gain clarity, peace and freedom in my life. Changes were dramatic at first and at times quite overwhelming but then the experiences eased off to a more manageable pace. Slowly I could feel the mental, emotional and karmic baggage lifting from my being, allowing the light from within to shine through with warmth and comfort of new found happiness. The glacier surrounding my heart and soul began to melt away. What a liberating feeling! Certain fears began to lift from me as well, awakening a dream that I have held in secret since my childhood.

All through my life, I have had the fantasy of being “The painter at the easel”. It was a glamorous image in my mind, one that sadly I felt was completely unrealistic and totally unattainable. As I grew older that dream continued to creep further and further from my grasp retreating into the dark corners of my subconscious. Or was it I who had swept it there? This life was for “Other People”, “Creative People”, “Talented People” not me. Besides I could never make a living as a painter. Judgment and fear had all but sealed the door shut on that dream for good. But thankfully at one point someone handed me the key and the seal was broken. I cannot describe exactly why or how it occurred, but I was inspired. An opportunity arose, an impulse hit and an inner voice urged me onward. I listened, faced my fear of the unknown and gave it a try. I learned a few simple techniques and ran with it. I painted, I drew, I could not seem to get enough! After a short course of time, still contemplating and watching my dreams I realized that this “Painting Thing” was in fact a very significant spiritual exercise for me and adapted my sessions to accommodate this. I was and am in touch with spirit in a very direct way when I paint. To this day it is my main form of meditation. At this point in my life I feel that this “Painting Thing” is my calling because while I paint I can clearly feel the spirit that connects all life flowing freely through me and in doing this it sets my spirit free! I must add though that it is not always an easy route to follow. It takes constant vigilance, reassessing, refocusing and a continual release and surrender, but the results are well worth the effort.

In my heart I believe that each one of us is born with a special gift. Sometimes these gifts are quite obvious early on but for others they lay dormant and are not discovered until later in life, after a significant amount of dissatisfaction has been experienced and an inner exploration has begun. However, once the gift has been discovered, often we are able to look back over the years and clearly recognize the clues that were there all along but were overlooked. We may also notice that there were signposts trying to point us in the right direction, but unfortunately we were too distracted to take notice or perhaps we were simply not ready to see them. Never mind though, as the saying goes…”Better late than never” and once we actively pursue the creative path that fits with us we find that from that point on we can never really do without it. It haunts us. The exact mode that we choose to express our creativity may change over the years, for one reason or another, but the voice of the soul cannot be silenced once it has been heard. Trying to silence the soul, I have found, only results in depression, deep seated grief and confusion.

So now I ask you, “How do you, as Soul, speak to the world? What is your passion? What is your deep-seated dream? What are you secretly drawn to? And what are you doing about it?”

When you allow yourself the opportunity to realize your dream to some degree, to any degree, when you finally unlock the door that has been sealed up tight with judgment and fear, when you finally let the spirit flow through, a new light will shine in this world, through you, allowing another soul to see a little bit clearer and thus do the same for someone else. I feel that it is our responsibility in this life to actively look for, discover and use the gifts we have been given, whatever they may be. In doing so I honestly believe that we can make this world that we share a far better place.

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY POST. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY COMMENTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR POINT OF VIEW.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PERSONALLY NOTIFIED OF MY NEXT AND SUBSEQUENT BLOG ENTRIES, PLEASE ADD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO MY MAILING LIST. THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR THIS AND I WILL NOT BOMBARD YOU WITH ADVERTISING. I WILL SIMPLY LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS THE BLOG ENTRY IS POSTED OR WHEN A NEW PAINTING HAS BEEN ADDED TO MY COLLECTION.

I HOPE THAT YOU HAVE AN INSPIRING DAY AND THAT AT SOME POINT ALONG THE WAY YOU ARE ABLE TO DISCOVER THE KEY.
ALL THE BEST TO YOU NOW AND ALWAYS
PAM

Lately with so much talk of flooding in the area, my wheels have been turning. Should I be concerned? If so, then how do I fully prepare for this? When to prepare? Will this really happen? Is my home safe? What will I do? Will I ever really be fully prepared? This morning those questions were once again spinning through my mind, until a thought occurred to me. THE OPPOSITE OF INSPIRATION IS EGO. Kaboom! Here we go! What on earth does this have to do with the threat of a flood???

Then it came to me. Ego is that powerful force that tells us that we are in control, or for that matter, out of control and helpless. It tells us that we know and understand what is going on around us, or alternately that we don%92t have a clue and neither does anyone else. It also tells us that what we think is right, without question and those who challenge us just don%92t understand. Heaven forbid that something should go astray from our own vision and plans, what would happen then? Woe is me. The ego is also that part of us that dwells on the Victim Stance, “Why me? That is just so unfair!" The brutal reality of life in this world is that in one split second, everything can change. Our worlds can turn upside down smashing our own perceived reality into a million little pieces, leaving us reeling and feeling completely out of control. What a wonderful thought for the day! Don%92t worry it does get better.

A good question to ask oneself is this, “How would I react and what would I do if tragedy were to strike my life? Where would I operate from, ego or inspiration?” We don%92t really want to dwell on any specific dilemma for any length of time; this would only serve to attract distress into our lives. Instead, we ask ourselves these questions in order to take inventory of where our attention lies and what base we are actually operating from at this moment.

I think the person who has been striving to live a life of inspiration, using their creative talents to build something from nothing, will at some point stop, take stock of the situation and make the proverbial lemonade out of the lemons he has been handed. This person may not understand why this situation has occurred or is occuring, but is willing to accept it as a challenge to learn, grow and begin anew.

On the other hand, the person who has been living life mainly from the ego center, will crumble into a heap, throwing blame to everyone and everything around him , at times even to himself, crying out in despair, “Why me?!” While he sits in the rubble of the aftermath, unable to comprehend how or where to begin, exhausted and broken from despair he cannot find the strength to take the first steps in preparing, repairing and rebuilding anew.

For the most part, I think that we all have a little bit of both personalities listed above. Otherwise we would not be human. We would in fact be angels with no need for the lessons of this material world. The truth is that we all have the capability to be creative. This is who we are in essence – creative beings! But at the same time, we also have this demon ego to deal with.

Truthfully, how many times do we find ourselves blaming someone or something outside of ourselves when things go wrong? How many times do we really take full responsibility for what happens in our own life, casting no blame to anyone, including to ourselves. How many times do we actually look at our own world with a clear and open mind seeing the results of our actions as lessons learned and sign posts for a move in a more inspired direction?

I guess the question is…Who is in control? Is it yourself as creative spirit flowing with grace around and through the obstacles of this life? Or is it the controlling nature of ego that is sending us headlong into the boulders that apparently have been tossed into our paths by those around us?

An interesting exercise that I have found is to take stock of what motivates us throughout the day? When you come across a situation that challenges you, ask yourself the question… "From whose eyes am I seeing this? Is it the eyes of open minded inspiration, the eyes of creative soul or am I seeing through the eyes of ego?" Pretty straightforward and direct question you would think. But listen carefully to the answers that you give yourself. How defensive are you in your answers? How desperately do you need to convince yourself that you are right? And alternately, how open are you to hearing or seeing another%92s point of view? Pretty interesting and quite revealing of where our attention lies. If you%92re anything like me, you%92ll find that over and over again throughout the day it is actually the ego that is the driving force in the way that we react to things. What a crummy feeling that is! BUT this is absolutely not the purpose of this exercise! Because wallowing in this crummy feeling is just another control factor of the ego, re-instilling that victim stance. Wow, seems like a catch 22. But really it%92s not. It is only when you can see the ego for what it really is, that you can finally break free from it%92s control (the illusion) even if only for a moment and steer your way back to the open minded path of inspiration. This shift in attention is truly inspiring and liberating! What an enlightening experience! And in my opinion, that is what this exercise all about.

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY POST. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY COMMENTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PERSONALLY NOTIFIED OF MY NEXT AND SUBSEQUENT BLOG ENTRIES, PLEASE ADD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO MY MAILING LIST. I%92LL BE SURE TO LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS THE ENTRY IS POSTED.

HAVE A GREAT DAY...PAM